    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 19, 2004]
    [Pages 2585-2592]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in New Port Richey, Florida
    October 19, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming. If you're looking for
    sunshine, Florida is the place to come. I'm looking for votes, and
    Florida is the place to come. Thank you all for coming out. I'm here to
    ask for not only your vote, I'm here to ask for your help. Get your
    friends and neighbors to go to the polls. And when you get them headed
    to the polls, remind them, if they want a stronger America, a safer
    America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
        I've got a lot of reasons why you ought to put me back in, but
    perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura will have 4 more years as the First Lady. When I asked
    her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as I never have to give
    a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.'' Fortunately,
    she didn't hold me

    [[Page 2586]]

    to that deal. She's giving a lot of speeches, and the American people
    see a warm, compassionate, strong First Lady.
        I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney.
    Now, look, I admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the race.
    [Laughter] I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. [Laughter] I picked
    him because of his judgment, his experience. I picked him because he can
    get the job done for the American people.
        I'm proud of my brother Jeb. What a great
    Governor for Florida. I appreciate the strength and compassion he showed
    during the hurricanes. Florida showed that out of adversity can come
    good, neighbors loving neighbors, people helping people who hurt. We'll
    continue to do everything we can to help the people of Florida get back
    on their feet.
        By the way, brother Marvin is with us too.
    [Applause] Yes. We love our family. And I love campaigning with my
    family.
        I want to thank Sam for his service to the
    United States of America. He was in the first gulf war. He's in the
    second incursion into Iraq. And our country is more secure because of
    his service.
        I want to thank Sheriff Bob White for joining
    us today. Sheriff, thanks. Appreciate it. I want to thank Daron
    Norwood, the country music singer, for being
    with us today.
        I want to thank Al Cardenas and all the
    grassroots activists who are here today. Thank you for putting up the
    signs. Thank you for making the phone calls. Thank you for working the
    polls. With your help, we will carry Florida again and win a great
    victory in November.
        In the last few years, the American people have gotten to know me.
    They know my blunt way of speaking. I get that from Mother. [Laughter] They know that I occasionally mangle the
    English language. [Laughter] I get that from my father. [Laughter] They also know that I tell you exactly what
    I'm going to do, and I keep my word.
        I enjoyed our debates. They showed the big differences between my
    opponent and me. We have different records. We
    have different views of the future. My record is one of reforming
    education, lowering taxes, providing prescription drug coverage for our
    seniors, improving homeland protections, and waging an aggressive war
    against the ideologues of hate.
        The Senator's record of 20 years is out of
    the mainstream. Instead of articulating a vision or a positive agenda
    for the future, the Senator is relying on a litany of complaints and
    old-style scare tactics. As proven by his record and a series of
    contradictions in this campaign, my opponent will say anything he thinks
    will benefit him politically at the time.
        I will do what I've said I will do. We will keep the promise of
    Social Security for our seniors. We will not have a draft; we will have
    an all-volunteer army. On November 2d, the people of America will reject
    the politics of fear and vote for an agenda of hope and opportunity and
    security for every American.
        When I came into office, the stock market had been in decline for 6
    months. And then we had a recession. To help families and to get this
    economy growing again, I pledged to reduce taxes. I kept my word, and
    the results are clear. The recession was one of the shallowest in
    American history.
        Over the last 3 years, our economy has grown at a rate faster than
    any major industrialized nation. Homeownership rate is at an alltime
    high in America. We added 1.9 million new jobs since August of 2003. The
    national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, lower than the average of the
    1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in Florida is 4.5
    percent. This economy is moving forward, and we're not going to go back
    to the old days of tax and spend.
        To make sure jobs are here in America, America must be the best
    place in the world to do business. We need to reduce the regulations on
    our job creators. We

    [[Page 2587]]

    need to do something about these frivolous lawsuits that hurt the small
    businesses.
        Listen, to keep jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy plan. It
    encourages conservation. It encourages the use of renewables. It
    encourages clean coal technology. It encourages environmentally friendly
    ways to explore for natural gas. We will not explore off the coast of
    Florida. What I'm telling you is in order to keep jobs here, we must
    become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        To keep jobs here, we've got to reject economic isolationism. I
    believe in free trade. I believe in fair trade. I know Americans compete
    with anytime--anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the rules are fair.
        To keep jobs here, we've got to be wise about how we spend your
    money and keep your taxes low. My opponent has
    his own history on the economy.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. In 20 years as a Senator from Massachusetts,
    he's built the record of a Senator from
    Massachusetts. [Laughter] He voted to increase taxes 98 times in his 20
    years. That's about five times a year. I would call that a pattern--
    [laughter]--a predictable pattern. He can run from his record, but he
    cannot hide.
        Now he's promising not to raise taxes for
    anyone who earns less than $200,000 a year. He said that with a straight
    face. [Laughter] The problem with that is, to keep that promise you'd
    have to break all the other ones. See, he's promised over $2.2 trillion
    in new spending. That's with a ``T.'' In order to pay for it, he said,
    well, all he's going to do is tax the rich. You can't raise enough money
    by taxing the rich to pay for $2.2 trillion. There is a gap between what
    he's promised and what he can raise. Guess who generally fills the gap?
    You do.
        Let me tell you what else is wrong with taxing the rich. The rich
    hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to slip the bill and to pass
    it on to you. We're not going to let Senator Kerry tax you; we're going to carry Florida and win a great
    victory on November the 2d.
        When I came into office, our public schools had been waiting decades
    for hopeful reform. Fortunately, you had a Governor
    here in Florida who enacted hopeful reform. Too many of our children
    were shuffled through school without learning the basics. I pledged to
    restore accountability to our schools and to end the soft bigotry of low
    expectations. I kept my word. We're seeing results. Children are making
    sustained gains in reading and math. We're closing achievement gaps all
    over this country, and we're not going to go back to the days of low
    expectations and mediocrity.
        When I came into office, we had a problem in Medicare. Medicine was
    changing; Medicare was not. For example, Medicare would pay tens of
    thousands of dollars for heart surgery but not one dime for the
    prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being
    needed in the first place. It was not fair to our seniors. I pledged to
    bring Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen and modernize
    Medicare for our seniors. I kept my word.
        We're moving forward on health care. There is more to do. We need to
    make sure health care is available and affordable. We need a safety net
    for those with the greatest needs. I believe in community health
    centers, places where the poor and the indigent can get health care. We
    will make sure that poor children are fully subscribed in our programs
    for low-income families so they can get the health care they need.
        To make sure health care is affordable, we must recognize that most
    of the uninsured work for small businesses. Small businesses are having
    trouble affording health care. To help our workers get health care, we
    should allow small businesses to join together so they can buy insurance
    at the same discounts as big companies get to do. We will expand health
    savings accounts so

    [[Page 2588]]

    workers and small businesses are able to pay lower premiums and people
    can save tax-free in a health care account they call their own.
        To make sure health care is available and affordable, we must do
    something about the junk lawsuits that are running up the cost of
    medicine and running good doctors out of practice. There is a clear
    difference in this campaign. My opponent has
    consistently voted against medical liability reform. I stand for medical
    liability reform, and I know I can work with the next Senator from
    Florida, Mel Martinez, to get that reform
    done.
        The Senator has a health care proposal of
    his own, a plan for bigger and more intrusive Government. The other day,
    he tried to tell Americans that when it comes to his health care plan,
    and I quote, ``The Government has nothing to do with it.'' [Laughter] I
    could barely contain myself. [Laughter] The facts are that 8 out of 10
    people who get health care under Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on
    a Government program. He says his plan would help small businesses. Yet,
    groups that studied this plan concluded it was an overpriced albatross
    that would saddle small businesses with 225 new mandates.
        I have a different view. I want to help our small businesses, not
    saddle them with a bunch of Government rules. The choice is clear. My
    opponent wants to move in the direction of
    Government-run health care. I believe health decisions should be made by
    doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC. He can run,
    but he cannot hide.
        I've set out policies that move our country toward a more hopeful
    and optimistic vision. I believe our country can and must be an
    ownership society. There's an old saying: No one ever washes a rental
    car--[laughter]--a lot of wisdom in that statement. When you own
    something, you care about it. When you own something, you have a vital
    stake in the future of your country. That's why we're encouraging
    entrepreneurship. Every time a small business is started, someone is
    achieving the American Dream.
        We're encouraging health savings accounts so people have the
    security of owning and managing their own health care. We will continue
    to encourage homeownership in America. I love it when somebody opens the
    door where they live and says, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece
    of property.''
        In a new term, we'll take the next step to build an ownership
    society by strengthening Social Security. Let me talk about Social
    Security right quick. In 2000, people traveled this State saying, ``If
    George W. gets elected, our seniors will not get their checks.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Our seniors must remember, you got your checks. You
    will continue to get their checks, no matter what they try to tell you.
    And baby boomers, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to Social
    Security.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. The
    job of the President is to confront problems, not to pass them on to
    future generations and future Presidents. To make sure Social Security
    is around when our children grow up, we must allow younger workers to
    save some of their own payroll taxes in a personal savings account that
    earns better interest, a personal savings account they call their own
    and an account the Government cannot take away.
        When it comes to Social Security, my opponent wants to maintain the status quo. That is not leadership.
    He's against these Social Security reforms. He's against just about
    every other reform that gives more authority and control to the people.
    On issue after issue, from Medicare without choices to schools without
    accountability to higher taxes, he takes the side of more bureaucracy
    and more Government.
        There is a word for that attitude. It is called liberalism.
    He dismisses that as a

    [[Page 2589]]

    label. He must have seen it differently when he told a newspaper, ``I am
    a liberal, and I'm proud of it.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. The nonpartisan National Journal did a study and
    named him the most liberal Member of the
    United States Senate. That takes a lot of hard work. [Laughter]
        I have a different record and a different philosophy. I do not
    believe in big Government, and I do not believe that Government should
    be indifferent. That is called compassionate conservatism. I believe in
    policies that empower people to improve their lives, not try to run
    their lives. I believe we must continue to help men and women find the
    schools--skills and tools to prosper in a time of change. And so we're
    helping all Americans find dignity and independence. And I will continue
    to lead our country for 4 more years with that philosophy in mind.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. In this time of change, some things do not change,
    the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
    integrity. In a time of change, we must support the institutions that
    gives our lives purpose and direction, our families, our schools, our
    religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every
    person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family,
    which are the foundations of our society. We stand for the appointment
    of Federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and
    the strict interpretation of the law.
        My opponent's words on these issues are a
    little muddy, but his record is plenty clear. He says he supports the
    institution of marriage but voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
    He voted against a ban on the practice of partial-birth abortion.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. He's described the Reagan
    years as a time of moral darkness.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and my
    opponent sits on the far left bank. He can
    run, but he cannot hide.
        This election will also determine how America responds to the
    continuing danger of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American
    President is to protect the American people. If America shows
    uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward
    tragedy. This will not happen on my watch.
        Our strategy is clear. We are defending the homeland. We are
    reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We are
    transforming our military. The All-Volunteer Army will remain an all-
    volunteer army. We are staying on the offensive. We're striking the
    terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. We will
    spread freedom and liberty. And we will prevail.
        Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world as it was 3\1/2\
    years ago. Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida. Pakistan was a
    transit point for terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for
    fundraising. Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Iraq was a
    dangerous place and a gathering threat. And Al Qaida was largely
    unchallenged as it planned attacks.
        Today, because we acted, Afghanistan is free and is an ally on the
    war on terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is
    making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; the
    army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom; and more than three-
    quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to
    justice.
        We're standing with the peoples of a free Afghanistan and Iraq. I
    want you to remind your children about the historic moment that took
    place when the Afghan citizens went to vote. It was all but 3 years ago
    that these people lived under the brutal, brutal reign of the Taliban.
    Young girls couldn't go to school. Mothers were taken

    [[Page 2590]]

    and whipped in the public square because they didn't toe the line of
    these ideologues of hate. But because we acted in our self-defense,
    millions went to the polls. The first voter in Afghan--in the
    Afghanistan Presidential election was a 19-year-old woman. Freedom is on the march.
        There will be elections in Iraq in January. Think about how far that
    country has come from the days of mass graves and torture chambers and
    the brutal reign of a tyrant who hated
    America. It's important that freedom be on the march. We're more secure
    when societies are free. Free societies will be hopeful societies which
    no longer feed resentments and breed violence for export. Free
    governments in the Middle East will fight the terrorists instead of
    harboring them. Free societies will be peaceful societies. Freedom means
    America will be more secure.
        And so our mission is clear. We will help the people in these
    countries, in Afghanistan and Iraq, train their armies, train their
    police, so they can do the hard work of defending freedom. We will help
    the countries get on the path of stability and democracy as quickly as
    possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have
    earned.
        I want to thank those who wear our uniform. I want to thank the
    veterans who have set such a great example for those who wear the
    uniform. I want to thank the military families who are with us today.
        Under my leadership and working with the Congress, our Nation is
    keeping our commitments to those who serve and to their families. We've
    increased basic pay in the military by 21 percent. We've increased
    health benefits and Federal support for schools on our bases. We've
    reduced the out-of-pocket expenses for off-base housing to zero for our
    military families. We're supporting our Guard and our Reserves. We're
    spending 14 billion for construction and maintenance for Guard and
    Reserve facilities. We've extended military health care to our Guard and
    Reserve families. We're making sure that our troops have what they need
    in order to complete their missions.
        And that's why I went to the Congress and requested $87 billion of
    funding in September of 2003. And the support in the Congress was
    strong, except for 12 Senators voted against funding for our troops----
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. ----2 of whom were my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. When you're out rounding up the vote, remind the
    people of this startling statistic: There were only four Members of the
    Senate who voted to authorize the use of force and voted against
    supporting our troops in combat--only four--two of whom are my
    opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. So they asked him about the
    vote, and he said, in perhaps the most famous quote of the 2004
    campaign, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted
    against it.''
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Sunday was the one-year anniversary of Senator
    Kerry's vote against funding for our troops.
    My opponent's many and conflicting positions on this issue are a case
    study into why his contradictions call into question his credibility and
    his ability to lead our Nation.
        In September 2003, as the $87 billion funding package was being
    debated, Senator Kerry, on national TV, said
    it would be ``irresponsible to abandon our troops by voting against
    it.'' That's what he said. Just one month later, he did exactly the
    opposite. And so you wonder why. What happened to change the Senator's
    mind so abruptly in one month? Well, his opponent in the Democrat
    primary, Howard Dean, was gaining ground as an
    antiwar candidate. Senator Kerry apparently decided supporting the
    troops, even while they were in harm's way, was not as important as
    shoring up his own political position.

    [[Page 2591]]

        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. At a time of great threat to our country, at a time
    of great challenge in the world, the Commander in Chief must stand on
    principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
        His vote against supporting our troops in combat is part of a
    pattern. He opposed the B-1 bomber. He opposed
    the B-2 stealth bomber. He opposed modernization of the F-14D, all of
    which helped us secure our country in Afghanistan and Iraq. He opposed
    the Apache helicopter. He opposed the Patriot missile system. My
    opponent has built a 20-year record of military weakness. He can run
    from his record----
        Audience members. But he can't hide!
        The President. In our debate, Senator Kerry proposed we should pass a ``global test'' before we defend
    ourselves.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I'm not making that up. That's exactly what he said. I was standing right there. [Laughter] The
    problem with a ``global test'' is the Senator cannot ever pass it. In
    1990, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting
    action to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.
    The international community was united. Countries throughout the world
    joined our coalition. Yet even after United Nations approval, Senator
    Kerry voted against authorization for the use of force.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. If that didn't pass a ``global test,'' nothing will
    pass a ``global test.'' Listen, I'll continue to build strong alliances.
    We'll work with our friends and allies. But I will never turn over
    America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
        I believe in the transformational power of liberty. After World War
    II, after we defeated the Japanese, Harry Truman believed in the
    transformational power of liberty to convert an enemy into an ally. A
    lot of people doubted that. A lot of people wondered whether an enemy
    could ever become a democracy. But there were strong beliefs. And as a
    result of that belief, today, I sit down at the table with the head of a
    former enemy, Prime Minister Koizumi of
    Japan, talking about the peace we all want.
        Someday, a duly elected leader of Iraq will be sitting down with an
    American President, talking about the peace in the greater Middle East,
    and our children and our grandchildren will be better off for it.
        I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
    their freedom. I believe women in the Middle East want to live in a free
    society. I believe mothers and dads in the Middle East want their
    children to grow up in a free and peaceful world. I believe all these
    things because freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is
    the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
        For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
    apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
    expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time
    that requires firm resolve and clear vision and a deep faith in the
    values that makes this a great nation.
        None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
    began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
    Towers. It's a day I will never forget. I will never forget the workers
    in hardhats who were yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever
    it takes.'' I'll never forget the man that grabbed me by my arm and
    looked me in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since
    that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to better protect
    our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it
    takes.
        Four years ago, when I traveled your great State, I made a pledge
    that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the
    dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, I
    will do so for 4 more years.

    [[Page 2592]]

        God bless. Thank you for coming. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:34 a.m. at Sims Park. In his remarks, he
    referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Bob White, sheriff, Pasco County,
    FL; Al Cardenas, former chair, Republican Party of Florida; Mel R.
    Martinez, senatorial candidate in Florida; and Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan.